Rockets of a large size burn a tremendous amount of fuel after ignition or light-off in order to merely lift the rocket from a launching pad or platform. In certain cases, 24,000 pounds of fuel are burned every second. Simply eliminating two seconds of burn to propel a rocket into space would represent a tremendous savings in fuel. Such savings would translate into a decrease in the expense of such fuel and the addition of payload to the rocket structure.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,425,316 and 4,643,072 show submarine ejection systems in which compressed gases are used to force a rocket from a tube.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,185,538 and 4,671,163 describe tube launched missiles in which gases from a compressor or generated by combustion are used to force the missile to a launched condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,303 shows a system of launching a missile in which an outer auxiliary charge is provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,592 employs a launching tower in which an auxiliary liquid-propellant motor is used to move a piston, which pushes a rocket through the bore of the tower until the rocket is able to fire its own motors while in motion.
A system for launching rockets which utilizes the waste gas energy generated during ignition, to propel the rocket would be a notable advance in the aeronautical field.